Friendly as a Hand Grenade
Friendly as a Hand Grenade | ||||
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Studio album by Tackhead | ||||
Released | 1989 | |||
Recorded | Unique Recording, NYC and Matrix and Southern Studios, London | |||
Genre | Funk, industrial | |||
Length | 36:12 | |||
Label | TVT, World | |||
Producer | Tackhead | |||
Tackhead chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Houston Chronicle | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10[6] |
Friendly as a Hand Grenade is an album by the American band Tackhead.[7] It was released in 1989 through TVT Records.[8]
Production
The band added Bernard Fowler on vocals, and changed its name from Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System.[9] The album cover art is by Gee Vaucher.[10]
Critical reception
The New York Times wrote that Tackhead "draw deep, swampy grooves from funk, rap, house music and dub reggae, then add a paranoid overlay."[11]
Trouser Press wrote: "Opening and closing with the jaunty 'Ska Trek', living up to the title of 'Demolition House' and pursuing the by-now-familiar sardonic comments on the military with the infectious 'Airborne Ranger', the album captures Tackhead at its most coherent."[9] The Spin Alternative Record Guide declared that "at its best, the group melded deeply psychedelic rock and funk in a way that the Red Hot Chili Peppers could only dream of."[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Bernard Fowler, Keith LeBlanc, Skip McDonald, Adrian Sherwood and Doug Wimbish, except "Ska Trek" by Prince Buster
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ska Trek" | 0:48 |
2. | "Tell Me the Hurt" | 5:16 |
3. | "Mind and Movement" | 5:23 |
4. | "Stealing" | 6:32 |
5. | "Airborne Ranger" | 5:01 |
6. | "Body to Burn" | 1:04 |
7. | "Demolition House" | 4:08 |
8. | "Free South Africa" | 1:56 |
9. | "Ticking Time Bomb" | 4:23 |
10. | "Ska Trek" | 1:34 |
Personnel
- Tackhead
- Bernard Fowler – keyboards, vocals
- Keith LeBlanc – drums, percussion, drum programming, sampler
- Skip McDonald – engineering, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
- Doug Wimbish – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Additional musicians and production
- Dave Pine – engineering
- Adrian Sherwood – engineering, mixing
- Tackhead – producer
Charts
Charts (1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Indie Chart[12] | 3 |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1989 | World | CD, LP | WR013 |
United States | 1989 | TVT | CD, LP | TVT 4060 |
Japan | 1989 | Alfa Records, Inc | CD | ALCA-553 |
References
- ^ Bush, John. "Friendly as a Hand Grenade". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ Popson, Tom (6 April 1990). "'Friendly as a Hand Grenade', Tackhead". Chicago Tribune. Friday. p. R.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 23.
- ^ Racine, Marty (22 April 1990). "Records". Houston Chronicle. Zest. p. 10.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 690.
- ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 352–353.
- ^ Danton, Eric R. (6 September 2004). "TACKHEAD BACK TOGETHER: HARTFORD-FORMED QUARTET OF INNOVATIVE ARTISTS PIONEERED SOUNDS THAT BECAME STAPLES OF RAP, POP". The Hartford Courant. p. D1.
- ^ "Tackhead | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Tackhead". Trouser Press. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "The Quietus | News | Gee Vaucher Painting Used For Mirror Trump Blaster". The Quietus.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (8 July 1990). "Rock, Rap and Reggae Rolled Into One". The New York Times. p. A28.
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
External links
- Sherwood, Adrian (August 2013). "Classic Album: Tackhead: Friendly as a Hand Grenade". FutureMusic. No. 268. Interviewed by Roy Spencer. Future plc. pp. 20–22. Retrieved 11 March 2020 – via the Internet Archive.
- Friendly as a Hand Grenade at Discogs (list of releases)
- v
- t
- e
- Tackhead Tape Time (1987)
- Friendly as a Hand Grenade (1989)
- Strange Things (1990)
- For the Love of Money (2014)
- Tackhead Sound Crash (2006)
- Power Inc. Vol. 1 (1994)
- Power Inc. Vol. 2 (1994)
- Power Inc. Vol. 3 (1997)
- "What's My Mission Now?"
- "Mind at the End of the Tether"
- "The Game (You'll Never Walk Alone)"
- "Reality"
- "Ticking Time Bomb"
- As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade (1985)
- Mark Stewart (1987)
- Metatron (1990)
- Control Data (1996)
- Edit (2008)
- "Stormy Weather"
- "Rockchester"
- Disconnection (1994)